Good works resulting from obedience are necessary (Jas 2:26). God requires them of you to prove your Faith in God. You cannot claim to love God if you do not love others, especially your brothers in Christ (1Joh 4:20). Similarly, your love of others can only be proven by your good works (Mt 19:21; 1Joh 3:16-18). There are good works that you can boast of, and there are good works that you cannot. It will take a people after God’s heart to discern the difference (Ac 13:22; Joh 7:17).

Good works that are done without the holy spirit in you, are works that you can boast of. They are done, not through the spirit, but through your own efforts. For example, if you give away all your wealth to feed the poor, or even your body to be burned, but do not have love, these works are of no profit to you (1Cor 13:1-3). The love spoken of here is your love for God that enables you to surrender your life to obey His will (Joh 15:13). For unless you commit to do the Father’s will, IN A COVENANT, you shall not be able to prove your love and your faith in Him and so, deny yourself of God’s gift (Ac 10:45), which is the holy spirit (Ac 2:38), given to the ones who are truly after God’s heart (Ac 13:22). Without the spirit in you, every good work will be work that you can boast of, for it is done through your own strength, as all good works done by hypocrites are. These works shall not bear fruit because you do not have Christ in you, and apart from him you can do nothing (Joh 15:5) of value to God (1Cor 13:1-3). In the end, even with what you think were good works that you have done, Christ shall only say, “I never knew you. Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Mat 7:21-23).

But works done with the spirit in you, are works you can never boast of, for they are done through the power of the holy spirit. It is the spirit of God acting within you that gives you the will and the ability to act for the sake of God’s purpose (Php 2:13; Heb 13:21). Through the spirit, God shall enable you to do things that are otherwise impossible with men (Mat 19:21-26). And through that same spirit, you shall be sanctified (Ro 15:16) and perfected (Joh 17:23) to enter the kingdom of God, if you do not tire out (Ga 6:9) from zealously doing good works (Tit 2:14; Col 1:10; Eph 2:10).

Blessed are you who are given wisdom to discern between truth and lie.